


Hotel Lupin

by berryfartsart



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Angst, Fluff, M/M, Persona 5 Protagonist Has A Palace, Smut, THERE WILL BE A LOT OF SMUT IN THIS, akira is a bottom and fucks his personas and i will die on this hill, akira sings and wears a dress and is pretty, lot of jazz and symbolism, no beta we die like yaldy, songfic kinda but not really?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-19
Updated: 2021-03-19
Packaged: 2021-03-28 16:53:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30142623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/berryfartsart/pseuds/berryfartsart
Summary: The pit somehow became even deeper and he felt a crashing wave of sheer loneliness wash over, pouring into the gaping hole inside of him, seemingly trying to fill the void. He curled into a ball on the floor and wept harder, fingers digging into the area of the chest where his heart was located. The beautiful singer in the background continued on, uncaring and worry free of anything happening. Akira felt a stab of envy at that.He wishes he could live a carefree life like that. Free from pain, free from society, free to just sing and dance his heart out while an adoring crowd praised and loved him. Wanted him. Would never leave or abandon him.“You can have that, mon petit voleur.”
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira, Arsene/Kurusu Akira, Raoul/Kurusu Akira, Satanael/Kurusu Akira
Comments: 4
Kudos: 26





	Hotel Lupin

**Author's Note:**

> ok so, i've been sitting on this au for MONTHS now, and after scratching my head and going mad over how the first chapter would go, i just decided to split the prologue into two parts to save me from grief, so forgive me for the short chapter, i swear it's gonna get REALLY long here in a bit.
> 
> Enjoy!

**July 26th, 20XX**

**Sunday**

**Daytime**

The sharp bounce of train wheels grinding against metal rails jerked Akira awake from the small doze he was in. He shifts the bag on his lap to a more secure position, positive that the black cat inside would appreciate not being dropped onto a dirty floor, before glancing at his phone for the time. Seeing as he had at least one more hour before he arrived at his destination, Akira put his phone back into his pocket and leaned his head against the seat cushion behind him, eyes closing once more.

It took a lot more effort to convince Akira’s parents to let him go back to Tokyo for the summer than he thought it would. He figured they would be more than glad to get rid of him for a month, but apparently he had picked up some ‘bad habits’ while he was there and they didn’t want him ruining their reputation more than he already had.

Funny how Akira defending himself against a group of his classmates trying to throw his bag out the third story window was an embarrassment to them and not to the parents of the bullies themselves. Not that they cared about the specifics of the incident, just that their ex-criminal son was sent home early from school with a black eye and the several voicemails from angry parents flooding their inbox. ‘Start shit, get hit.’ As Futaba would have gleefully said to their faces.

Akira doubts his parents would have appreciated him saying that, so he had just kept his gaze down towards the floor at the time and nodded along to his parents scolding. Morgana brushing his tail against his ankle for comfort. It was a miracle that his parents even let him keep Morgana in their home to begin with and he definitely did not want to risk them getting rid of his friend, so he bit down on his tongue and pulled his mask tighter over his face.

Akira’s eyes snapped open at the muffled sounds of groaning coming from his bag as the zipper slowly loosened, Morgana’s fur lightly sleep mussed from his cat nap. Drowsy neon blue eyes blinked up at him before squinting around the empty car and hopping out of the bag. Akira then watched as the embodiment of humanity’s hope proceeded to lick himself in the middle of a subway train heading to Shibuya.

“You know, you DO have a brush that I bought specifically for you.” Akira spoke, his tone peppered with amusement, his gaze following suit as his cat shaped friend glared up at him, leg stretched out for maximum grooming.

“I hate that thing!”, Morgana said with pure malice. “The stupid bristles hurt and it steals all my fur!”

“That’s the whole point of the brush. To keep you from shedding all over my bed and the couch.”

Morgan harrumphed and sat his leg back down. “With the way your mom decorates, that house could use a little bit of Morgana spice to it.”

Akira’s nose wrinkled at the memories of the many nights with cat hair in his mouth as he ate his dinner. He wishes Morgana kept his spices to himself.

The cat shaped being hopped up on top of the subway seats, staring curiously out at the passing scenery. His tiny paws pressed up against the glass while his nose left little streaks behind from where it accidentally brushed up against the cool material. Akira felt his hands twitch with the desire to boop.

He quickly turned his head away from Morgana as the cat hopped back down to the seat next to him, praying that Morgana didn’t use his sixth sense to hear Akira’s thoughts. He didn’t want to show up to his stop covered in claw marks. 

Thankfully, Morgana seemed distracted enough by his own thoughts, settling down against the worn leather beneath his furry butt.

“I can’t believe we’re _still_ in the countryside. We’ve been traveling for hours now!” The cat grumbled, pawing at a loose thread sticking out of a popped seam. Akira smiled and gently ruffled at Morgana’s head, causing the cat to grumble even more and swat at his retreating hand.

“We should be there within the hour, don’t worry. Are you excited about spending time with Lavenza and Igor?”

The pouting cat immediately perks up, tail waving slightly.

“Yeah! I wanna know more about where I came from and what all the Metaverse is about, but…”

Morgana’s tail and ears drooped down, an expression of insecurity crossing his furry face. Akira laid a comforting hand against his back.

“But?”

Morgana’s whine comes out more as a pitiful mew, causing Akira’s heart to flutter.

“What if they...don’t...like me?”

Akira feels a rush of rage at _anyone_ not liking his adorable friend before immediately tamping down his ridiculous thoughts, scratching gently at the fur beneath his fingertips. Morgana’s back began to arch instinctively into his touch and gently purred as Akira spoke.

“You are an amazing friend and a wonderful roommate, Mona. I can’t imagine anyone not falling for your charm and good looks.”

‘ _Nobody sane at least._ ’ Akira thought to himself, hand quivering as Morgana’s adorable purring tested his willpower, stifling the urge to just button mash his companion. He mourned the loss of smooth fur as Morgana sat up, ears perked and tail waving happily behind him now.

“You’re right, Akira! I should have more confidence in myself. After all, I’m handsome, a gentleman, and a cunning thief! They would be fools not to like me!”

Akira nodded wholeheartedly and set the bag on his lap to the side of the seat, allowing his cat shaped friend to stretch and curl up into a ball on his lap. Morgana purred again at a firm scratch behind his ears and closed his eyes in content. 

“I’m sure you’re excited to get away from that horrible place and see everyone again too.”

Akira’s fingers hesitated for a brief moment as his mind flashbacked to his homelife. The cold silence of his parents during the rare times he saw them. The lonely dinners with just himself and Morgana in a too large kitchen, the glares and whispers of peers that he knew since his early childhood. Akira swallowed a tight lump down his suddenly dry throat before going back to scratching.

“...Yeah.”

**July 26th, 20XX**

**Sunday**

**Evening**

As they arrived closer to their stop, more and more people clambered onto the train, forcing Morgana to settle back into his travel case. Akira stood up eventually from his seat to offer it to an elderly man, and grabbed himself a hanging handle to hold onto for the rest of the trip. The pressing of random bodies up against his own made his skin somewhat itch, his body unused to the sensation anymore due to the few months away in a much smaller, suburban town. Morgana poked his head out occasionally to brush against the hand holding onto his bag for some comfort, which Akira deeply appreciated.

“ **_Yongen-Jaya. This is Yongen-Jaya._ **”

Akira felt his chest relax as the train slowed down, relieved at both arriving at his destination and finally escaping his suffocating tomb. He shoved himself into the flow of people exiting the train, stumbling a bit as his shoe caught on the uneven tiling outside the doors, before the current of people behind him forced him to straighten and continue forward enough till the flow could disperse in different directions. Morgana popped his head out with a harried look on his cute face.

“Geez, I forgot how _fast_ everything is in the city. We aren’t even in the main part of it yet and I’m already feeling overwhelmed.”

Akira nodded in agreement and made his way to an empty corner of the station, breathing out slowly and scanning his gaze across the sea of people. Morgana set his paws on top of both of Akira’s shoulders and peered over his head to look at the crowd as well. After a few minutes of searching, Morgana slumped downward, resting his chin on top of Akira’s head.

“Ugh, I can’t see Boss or Futaba anywhere! They’re supposed to meet us here, right?”

Akira hummed and nodded, rereading the text message that Futaba sent a couple of days ago.

**M07H3R5H1P: We’ll be there to pick you up at the station! You better be on time or I’m stealing all your curry at dinner!** **ԅ(‹o›Д‹o›ԅ)**

Morgana grumbled and shuffled himself back into his bag to hide as a station employee passed by on patrol. “She fusses at us about being on time, when they aren’t even here! Let’s just head to the house ourselves, they probably got caught up in preparing the guest room and lost track of time.”

Akira nodded and shoved his phone back into his pocket, hiking up his duffel bag and stepping onto the escalator. The streets of Yongen-Jaya seemed to always stay in a perpetual state of sleepiness, even with the late night businesses up and running around them. Akira headed down the road to the Sakura house as Morgana poked his head out of his bag and rambled about whether the international restaurant next to Leblanc was still there, and if it was they should try and eat there when Boss wasn’t looking. Akira pressed the small plastic button outside the gated home, listening as a ring echoed faintly from inside.

No answer.

Akira furrowed his brow, a sense of déjà vu coming over him as he pressed the doorbell again and no one answered. Morgana mewled in confusion.

“They aren’t at home either? I guess we could try Leblanc, but I thought Futaba said that Boss was closing up for the day to help us settle in. Did he change his mind?”

Akira didn’t answer, already making his way back down the road and turning off onto the street where the cafe was located. Morgana yowled at the ‘Closed’ sign at the cafe door and Akira felt inclined to agree.

“What the heck?! Where are they!”

Akira opened his mouth to speculate when a bright shade of orange flashed into his peripherals before what felt like a boulder slammed into him, knocking him and a protesting Morgana nearly onto the ground.

“You guys are here! Welcome home!”

Futaba had grown in the few months that Akira was away, or maybe it was just the aura of confidence and joy radiating out of her that made her stand up straighter and seem taller in his eyes. She was still as thin as ever, but her hair had been tied into two loosely tied french braids that dangled in front of her. What really gave Akira pause though was the Kosei High summer uniform she was wearing. Futaba noticed his baffled stare and smirked.

“Notice my new outfit, huh? You’re looking at Futaba Sakura, Kosei High Sophomore!”

Morgana and Akira gaped at her in shock, not noticing Sojiro standing behind her until he spoke.

“Futaba, you nearly knocked the kid out, ease up a little. And come grab your bags too.” The older man said with stifled amusement as he walked up to the cafe entrance, arms burdened by multiple bags from different shops that Akira recognized in his past experience in Akihabara. Futaba turned to stick her tongue out at her father before yanking on Akira’s arm to pull him inside the door that Sojiro struggled to unlock.

Her uniform seemed brand new and neatly pressed, stark white fabric complimenting the black skirt and monochromatic ribbon wrapped around her shirt’s collar. Futaba did a little spin before striking an overly cutesy pose at Akira.

“You like it? I just got them last weekend!”

“And she’s been wearing them everyday since then, even though it’s summer break now.” Sojiro commented dryly, dropping Futaba’s bags onto a booth tabletop. Morgana hopped out of his bag to sniff at them curiously. 

“You hush! I have to train myself for the next semester!”

“Next semester?” Akira inquired, glancing at Sojiro in confusion. The older man opened his mouth to respond, only to be interrupted by Futaba.

“Once summer break ends, I’ll be starting my high school debut! It’s every anime girl’s dream, and years of visual novels have taught me to prepare myself.” She stated proudly, striking another ridiculous pose.

Akira glanced at Sojiro again, even more confused than he was before.

Sojiro took pity on him and leaned over to stage whisper to him. “She started doing some hybrid classes back in the spring after you left and made some friends at Kosei. She insisted on going full time for the next semester.”

“No offense to Ann and Ryuji, but Shujin Academy sucks! Plus, Kosei has a decent computer program and Inari is there to be my minion. The people in the same classes as me are pretty cool too! We hang out and play online together sometimes.” She rambled, absentmindedly picking Morgana up to help him better sniff the inside contents of the plastic bags.

Akira felt something in his heart warm, and his eyes watered a bit at the growth Futaba had shown him so far. A familial grip on his shoulder by Sojiro told him that he noticed and shared the same sentiment, going by his suspiciously wet eyes as well. The moment ended when Morgana slipped out of Futaba’s arms and fell upside down into one of the larger bags, yowling in panic as sudden laser noises blasted out of it.

“Hey! Get me out of here!” 

Sojiro sighed and shook his head, walking off to check on the stock of the bar. Akira fished around the massive bag, setting off more laser noises as he pulled a frazzled Morgana out. He resisted making a pun that would no doubt get his face clawed off.

“Geez, is this what you guys were doing all day instead of meeting us at the station?” The cat grumbled, raking a hand over his messed up fur to straighten himself up. Futaba laughed and ran her hand against the grain of it, causing it to mess up again and dancing out of the way of his paws.

“Sorry, MonaMona, a new limited edition figurine came out that I had to get, and we ended shopping a lot longer than we thought.”

“‘ _We_ ’, she says.” Sojiro muttered good naturedly.

Morgana just sighed and sat his butt down against the table.

“Ugh, whatever, just take us to the house so we can put our stuff down already.”

Futaba laughed a bit sheepishly and scratched at her cheek.

“Well...about that…”

* * *

Morgana and Akira stared in absolute awe at the sheer mass of cables and electronic wirings that ran through the Sakura guest bedroom. Multiple monitors stacked into one huge form as fans blasted at full capacity at computer towers to prevent them from overheating.

“What the heck, Futaba?!” Morgana yelled.

Futaba just twirled around in her gamer chair and tapped away at her keyboard. 

“Well, after the whole Phantom Thieves incident, I felt really bad about the whole ‘building an international hacker crime organization and then leaving it to rot’ thing, and decided to use my spare time to actually hunt down some of the people abusing Medjed’s name. They’re all small fry compared to me, but I needed a LOT more harddrive to track them all over the world. So, I took over the spare bedroom a month ago. If I knew sooner that you were gonna come visit, I would have put my vigilante justice on hold.”

Morgana groaned. “Are you serious?! Where are we gonna stay then?”

Futaba turned around in her chair to blink at them. 

“What do you mean? Obviously the attic. It’s got some extra stuff that Sojiro threw up there, but it’s still pretty clean and the futon is still set up there.”

Morgana slumped in dejection and Akira felt his back give a phantom ache. So much for a more comfortable stay this go around.

* * *

Sojiro had sent Akira home to Leblanc with enough curry to feed him and Morgana. Him and Futaba had apparently eaten while they were out and about. The curry was cold when Akira scooped it out onto two plates, but he was too tired from traveling to take the time to heat it up properly and Morgana didn’t mind either way, too excited to eat Sojiro’s curry again.

“Well, this day didn’t go the way I expected, but I’m sure tomorrow will go a lot smoother! We’re meeting everyone at the diner at noon, right?” Morgana said, sitting back from his now clean plate, tummy slightly protruding.

Akira nodded, taking his napkin and carefully wiping the sauce off of the cat’s fur before it stained. Morgana hated taking baths and Akira really didn’t feel like wrestling him into a tub anytime soon. Once he was done, he set their plates into the sink to wash in the morning, picked up his bag and Morgana, and walked up the rickety old steps in the back corner of the room. It had been only four months since Akira last lived here, but he still remembered which parts of the steps to avoid making noise. 

‘ _At least Boss kept the place clean while we were gone.’_ Akira thought, scanning across the room. The attic bedroom didn’t appear to change much, almost eerily frozen in place in his time away, the only thing different was the newer bags of coffee beans lining the supply shelf, the mailing box containing Akira’s clothes and essentials for the summer, and an old record player sitting on top of the tool bench. 

Akira settled his bag and Morgana onto the thick duvet resting on top of the padded mattress (two new additions courtesy of Sojiro’s worrying no doubt) before popping open the mailing box containing his stuff. He shuffled himself out of his summer clothes and slipped on some pajamas, sliding the box and its contents on the bottom of the coffee shelf just like last time. Morgana was already in a doze, knocked into it by his food coma, but Akira wasn’t quite ready for bed yet, too excited by the prospect of being back at his _real_ home.

He sat himself at the tool bench, curiously opening up the top of the record player’s case. It seemed simple enough, and there was a box of records sitting next to it. Akira flicked through the vinyl records, not recognizing any of the names, and randomly grabbed one to pull out and place onto the player. He fumbled with finding the switch to turn it on, but once he did he carefully placed the needle onto the starting point of the record and it started to play.

Soft jazz crooned out of the player. Akira could hear the mutterings of faint words singing along to the much louder instruments and he brushed his fingers against the few knobs in search of a way to turn the volume up. After messing with two and getting no results, he turned the third and the voice became steadily louder but warbled at a super slow pace. He turned back on the other two knobs till the voice became crystal clear.

**_“_ ** _I am all alone tonight,_

_and I kept on asking myself_ **-”**

Akira immediately ripped the needle off of the record, causing a terrible scratching noise that startled Morgana awake. 

“Wha- Hey! What the heck are you doing over there?! You almost scared the fur off of me!”

Akira’s heart raced, fingers shaking as he ran them over the line scratched through the vinyl. He wasn’t sure if it was ruined now or not, but his chest ached at the thought of playing it again to find out.

“Akira?”

He jumped at the sound of Morgana’s concerned voice calling for him, slamming the lid of the record player down and turning towards the other. He cleared his throat.

“Sorry, I was just messing around, did I wake you?”

The cat huffed and curled back into a ball, tail flicking in irritation.

“Yeah, I was dreaming about some delicious fatty tuna, but that doesn’t matter. Shouldn’t you be going to bed soon? We have a lot of stuff to do tomorrow.”

Akira nodded, clicking off the lights and crawling under the covers, Morgana settling in his usual spot next to his legs. He gave one glance towards the record player resting innocently across from his bed before he felt his eyelids grow heavy, fluttering them close and dozing off into a heavy sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Part 2 of the Prologue should be up soon and hopefully we'll get down to the smut and smooth jazz in Chapter 1, so look forward to it! This is gonna be a long one so sit tight and enjoy the ride.
> 
> Feel free to ask me questions about this au or just ramble to me about persona at my tumblr berryfartsart


End file.
